The Perks of Living in Rileytown
by ReadMyThoughts24
Summary: Maya holds Riley close and gently runs her thumb across her tear-stained cheek. She hums and softly sings along to the song playing in the background of Riley's room: "You're dripping like a saturated sunrise You're spilling like an overflowing sink You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece And now you're tearing through the pages and the ink.."
1. Whoops

***

When Maya woke up, she wasn't sure exactly where she was. She squinted up at the perfectly uncracked ceiling, discovering that this was definitely not her own room. Bits of drywall and paint weren't snowing down on her pillow.

Just as Maya noticed that the pillow under her head was purple, she felt something wiggle and snuggle up against her. The messy brown hair told Maya that she was in Riley's room, in Riley's bed, and snuggling Riley in her arms. Since the start of their beautiful friendship, Maya slept over Riley's house on the weekends, but lately they've been having more sleepovers than usual. They were dating, though they hadn't told the guys yet, let alone their parents. They'd agree to keep their relationship private, but they usually couldn't resist passing notes during classes or playing footsie at lunch.

As Maya's brain woke up, she remembered flashes of the night before. The gang hung out at their usual spot at Topanga's, butts planted on the couches and enjoying each other's company over a few scoops of ice cream. Farkle and Smackle were deep in conversation over their physics project, while Lucas and Zay were busy arguing over who could stay on a mechanical bull the longest at the county fair. There was never a dull moment with these guys.

Maya also remembered spending an hour kissing Riley's lips and neck before falling asleep right next to her. They had agreed to take it slow in terms of bedroom activity, but Maya did remember throwing both of their shirts off for the first time that night while Riley sat on her lap. Maya wish that she'd taken a picture of Riley's face: her mouth hung open and her eyes glued to Maya's toned stomach. Even with her sport's bra on, Maya made Riley perform a full system reboot. Maya didn't see her favorite band tee shirt anywhere, but she trusted that it was somewhere among the piles of clothes scattered across Riley's floor.

"Morning," Maya said in a sleep-blanketed voice. Riley snuggled back into Maya's chest.

"Shh." "Someone's grumpy," Maya said, rolling away. Riley let out a low growl, displeased with the sudden lack of warmth.

"Smile!" Riley turned to see Maya sitting on the edge of the bed holding her phone up for a selfie. She yanked the comforter up over her tangled hair.

"Maya! I'm not wearing a shirt!" If Riley hadn't been under the blankets, she would have seen Maya's face flush bright red. However, Riley didn't emerge from her cocoon until she heard something land softly on top of her. She popped her head out and saw a blank tank top that she knew read, "It was all a dream."

"...Thanks," Riley said. Maya found the same colored shirt on the ground with the words "Do what you love" written across, almost reluctantly putting it on. Normally, she wouldn't be caught dead wearing one of Riley's ambiguous, whimsical word-shirts, but she was set on this selfie thing.

She heard Riley grumble while throwing on the tank as she sat up and tried to fix her hair as best as she could before resting her chin on Maya's shoulder. Maya planted a smacking kiss on Riley's cheek and smiled brightly.

"Hi."

"Hey. You gonna take this picture or what?"

"Oh, this is a video."

"Peaches!" Riley lunged for the phone, but Maya held it just out of reach as she scrambled away.

"And... saved," Maya said, locking her phone with a triumphant smirk.

Riley scowled at her girlfriend, "Fine, I'm taking a shower."

"Without me?" Maya teased.

"Shut up. You sound like a white frat boy," Riley retorted as she got out of bed. Maya met Riley at the door and wrapped her arms around Riley's waist, "Toast?"

"Yes, please," Riley said, pulling Maya in for a quick thank-you kiss.

***

Maya parked her car in the school parking lot with exactly five minutes to spare until the first bell rang. She and Riley made their way to the classroom in no rush. The hallways were surprisingly empty, and Maya took advantage of the opportunity to grab Riley's hand. Maya was pleased with the little surprised face that Riley made. Riley stood still, making Maya worried that she'd crossed a line.

"Sorry," Maya said, withdrawing her hand.

"No, no, it's okay," Riley said, swallowing loudly before taking Maya's hand back. "I want to."

They walked the rest of the hallway in silence. Maya hadn't realized that she was holding her breath until she head Riley exhale next to her when they stopped at the last corner before their history class.

"We're holding hands at school," Maya said in disbelief. Riley looked at Maya with shining eyes and started laughing. Maya joined in, feeling lighter than she had in a long time. The way that Riley was looking at her made her heart jump, and Maya couldn't help but stretch up onto her toes and kiss her. Riley didn't pull away - in fact, she pulled Maya's face closer and tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth.

"Now we've made out at school too," Riley whispered. Maya felt a grin so wide spread across her face that her cheeks hurt.

"Come on," Riley said, taking Maya's hand again. "We're gonna be late."

They paused outside the classroom and Riley glanced between their hands and Maya's eyes. With unspoken understanding, Maya released Riley's hand and put her own in her pockets. Baby steps were fine with her, and they weren't in any hurry to come out to everybody just yet. She offered Riley a small, sweet smile and opened the door.

As soon as they stepped into the room, they were greeted by a chorus of hollering and wold-whistles. Lucas, Farkle, and Zay got up on top of their desks and started clapping. Fortunately, Mr. Matthews had stepped out to grab one of yesterday's muffins from the faculty lounge before starting class. Riley looked at Maya with as much confusion on her face as Maya felt herself. Slowly they entered the classroom towards the three desks where the boys were apparently giving them a standing ovation.

"Hi, what the hell?" Maya greeted them.  
"Hi, same," Riley added.

Farkle was the first to hop off the desk and sit back down in his chair. He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and focused all of his attention down at the screen in his lap.

"Don't you mean 'good morning?'" Lucas asked, plopping into a seated position atop his desk.

"No, I mean what the hell," Maya repeated. She glared at the boys with a look that told them that they were all definitively in trouble.

Zay cut in. "Hey, we didn't do anything." When Maya looked incredulous, he added, "Seriously. Farkle, please present Exhibit A."

Farkle held his phone up. "Your snapchat story."

They saw Riley grumble, pull a shirt over her head, and fingercomb her hair. They saw Riley settle into the curve of Maya's shoulder, and they saw Maya kiss Riley's cheek.

 _"Hi"_

 _"Hey. You gonna take this picture or what?"_

 _"Oh, this is a video."_

 _"Pe-"_

And the video cut off just as Riley was about to grab the phone from Maya.

The boys looked like three children who had just been told that they could go to the candy store after school. Everyone in the room was watching as everything unraveled. Riley's face was entirely red and Maya felt her own cheeks getting hotter.

"Aw, you guys match," Farkle said, pointing at their faces.

Somebody in the row behind the boys yelled "Speech!" which earned an icy glare from Maya and prompted Riley to open her mouth and close it repeatedly before finally snapping it shut. Maya turned to Riley and suddenly Maya felt like they were the only two people in the room.

"I am so sorry," Maya said.

Riley shrugged and let out a deep sigh, "This wasn't exactly how I imagined this going down."

Zay made an inappropriate joke, but the girls didn't hear him.

"You're not mad?" Maya looked so worried. Riley wanted nothing more than to hug her, so she did. They held onto each other for a moment, and then Maya found Riley's lips. She kissed her hard, swearing that this was right and good and real.

Cheers broke their little bubble, and they separate. They took their seats near the front with Lucas, Farkle, and Zay sitting in their respected spots.

Mr. Matthews walked in with his usual goofy expression as he popped a piece of muffin into his mouth before setting it down on the desk and pointing at the phrase on the board, starting his lesson of the day.

Riley looked down at her notes and immediately started to drown herself in her thoughts, trying her hardest to hold down her impending anxiety attack.

'Please let this day go by quickly...'

****


	2. Extraordinary Relationship

"I swear, in that moment, we were infinite." or so I thought we were...

Riley rushed home from school and avoided everyone for the rest of the day with the excuse that she had a a boat-load of homework today. She replayed the events that went down today in the imaginary slide show of her mind as she plopped down on her desk, her bag falling to the ground in a loud 'thud.'

 ** _"I am so sorry," Maya said._**

 ** _Riley shrugged and let out a deep sigh, "This wasn't exactly how I imagined this going down."_**

 ** _"You're not mad?" Maya looked so worried._**

 ** _Riley wanted nothing more than to hug her, so she did. They held onto each other for a moment, and then Maya found Riley's lips. She kissed her hard, swearing that this was right and good and real. Cheers broke their little bubble, and they separate. With a final shared smile, they took their seats near the front with Lucas, Farkle, and Zay sitting in their respected spots._**

"Maybe I shouldn't have kissed her. Why did I it happen? The whole class saw us practically make out, so why did I lose myself and not rush into panic mode right then and there?!"

In that moment, Riley booted up her laptop and opened up a blank word document, wanting to type away her frustrations to the only person she knew would listen without any questions asked.

 _Dear friend,_

 _I've had better days. Our whole school saw the snapstory of Maya in my shirt. I thought I was fine, and in that moment, it felt like nothing else mattered because I got lost in those beautiful eyes of hers, but little did I know that I was actually a mess. A nervous and terrified wreck. I didn't realize this until my father walked in and started his lecture and I was left alone with my thoughts. In that moment, I blacked out and thought I was going to puke up whatever bit of breakfast that was still undigested in my stomach._

 _I was outed by mistake. I didn't want for this to happen so suddenly. I wanted to take things slow and ease my way out, but now I'm left here on damage control. It's as if someone ripped off the metaphorical band-aid of my hetero-like facade and left me to tend to my lez-be-honest and gay wounds. How will I tell my parents? How will I even explain this to Auggie? The whole school knows so my dad is bound to find out sooner or later. I honestly don't even know how to face this._

 _I'm starting to get bad again, friend, and I don't know how to stop it..._

Riley typed away furiously on her keyboard, tears slowly falling on the keys unknowingly as she finished up the last written thought before hitting 'upload.' She posted the letter on her anonymous blog and immediately exited out, slamming the laptop shut before groggily heading over to her bed and crashing down on top. She slid away into the covers and tried muffling the sounds of her anguish-filled sobs with her pillows so no one in the house would hear. After what seemed to be an eternity of sobbing, Riley finally passed out, unaware of a certain blonde watching her cry from outside the bay window.

Riley had made sure to lock it beforehand, knowing all too well that Maya wouldn't simply leave her alone for the night, especially not after what just happened at school earlier that day.

Maya got in her car and hit play on her spotify playlist, shuffling her daily playlist as she zoomed on to the streets. Three or four songs with heavy guitars and drum beats blasted through the stereo as she drove over to Riley's house. She knew something wasn't right, but she tried clearing her mind by singing along to the song pouring loudly through her speakers.

 _"Stay for tonight_

 _If you want to I can show you what my dreams are made of_

 _As I'm dreaming of your face_

 _Slipping away for a long time._

 _such a long time_

 _that I miss you there._

 _I can't imagine being anywhere else_

 _I can't imagine being anywhere else but here._

 _How the hell did you ever pick me honestly._

 _I could sing you a song_

 _but I don't think that words can express your beauty._

 _How the hell did we end up like this?_

 _You bring out the beast in me._

 _I fell in love from the moment we kissed_

 _since then we've been history._

 _They say that love is forever_

 _Your forever is all that I need_

 _Please stay as long as you need._

 _Can't promise that things won't be broken_

 _But I swear that I will never leave_

 _Please stay forever with me..."_

By the time the song ended, she arrived at Riley's place and immediately jumped out of her car. She never bothered to use the front door. Of all the years she's knows Riley, the bay window was the only entrance she ever used to come and go and it's the only one she will ever use. This time, however, the bay window was locked.

'What the- Why is it locked?' Maya thought to herself as she tried pulling the window up again. She peered in and saw a small lump hiding under the covers. Maya caught a glimpse of a familiar face wiping her eyes from under the pillow, completely unaware of the blonde's presence by the window.

'Riles? Why are you crying?' She observes quietly for a moment, feelings of worry taking over her body. She pulled out her phone and quickly typed out a text, sending it to Riley.

 **Honey: "Riles?"**

She watches Riley pick up the phone and open the text, only to find her setting her phone down without replying. Maya huffed and sent out another text, knowing damn well she can't ignore it this time.

 **Honey: "Ring power."**

Maya saw Riley groan and push back her covers, before reluctantly getting up and trudging over to open the window.

"What, Maya. What is it?" She said in a small, tired voice.

"Riles, you locked the bay window on me. What's going on?" Maya immediately climbed in and closed the window before taking a seat besides Riley. She hesitated to take Riley's hand, unsure if she would pull away from her or go back to bed, so she stayed still.

"Talk to me, please Riley. What's going on in Rileytow-"

"-I'm not in Rileytown right now!" She cut in, almost yelling at Maya. "Can't you see how much of a mess we're in? The whole school knows about us! We-We barely even started dating and now everyone knows, all because you had to go ahead and post that stupid video of us!"

Riley continues to explode, not letting Maya get a single word in, as she directs a stream of word vomit at the smaller blonde., "I'm sure my father even knows about us and pretty sure he's gonna come home and burst right into my room with my mother trailing behind him. And-And my brother! Oh God, Auggie! How the hell am I going to explain this to him? All that he knows about love is that he's gonna marry Ava when he grows up!"

Maya grabbed Riley's shoulders and shook her a bit in attempts to stop her from talking and having a spontaneous combustion, "Riley, stop! Stop talking! It's going to be okay!"

"How do you know that Maya?! We've barely made it through junior year. How the hell do we know what to do when it comes to this stuff if we just started to express our feelings to each other?"

Maya grabbed her face and pulled her close, pressing their foreheads together as she spoke in a calmer, softer voice, "We will figure this out, together. I can't promise that it will be easy or that things won't ever be broken and in need of epic repair, but I swear to you, Riley Matthews, that I will never leave. I can't imagine being anywhere else, but here with you, in this spot, and having this very moment with you. I'm not going anywhere, honey."

Riley's eyes start to glaze over again, this time she is unable to hold back the tears as she wraps her arms around Maya's neck and hugs her tightly. Maya immediately snakes her arms around her waist and comforts her as she hears Riley whisper softly into her ear in between broken sobs.

"Peaches, I'm so scared."

"I know, Honey," She rubs Riley's back gently and places her chin on her shoulder. "I am too, but we will make it through this journey together. Who knows what will happen. Who knows anything?"

Riley wipes her eyes and pulls back a bit to wipe her nose on her sleeve. She clears her throat and speaks up.

"I do. At least I think I do, now that I got to talk to you. If I learned anything in this life, it taught me that if you're lucky in this life, you get an extraordinary relationship." She looked up at Maya and smiled softly.

"My mother and my father met each other very early, just like us, and look at them. They stayed together for the rest of their lives." Maya smiled up at the brunette, eagerly listening to her while looking up into her eyes.

"I may not know what will happen exactly, and I may be scared to death, but even through my sadness, if there's one thing I know for sure in my life, it's that you are my extraordinary relationship, Maya."

Riley held her hand up to Maya and Maya shot her trademark grin at Riley, "Thunder."

"Lightning," Maya responded, moving her free hand up to hold Riley's. She laces their fingers together and looks down at their hands before moving her gaze to catch Riley's.

"Forever."

"Forever." Maya pulled Riley in and kissed her softly, holding the sweet kiss for a brief moment before pulling back to comfortably nestle her head on Riley's shoulder. Riley slowly rests her head on top of Maya's and closes her eyes and she sits in a comfortable silence.

'Maybe we'll be okay after all. Maybe we are infinite.'


End file.
